The bullet that struck Huertas did not penetrate his skull, Connellan said.

Another man, Jermaine Hackett, 27, of Valley Drive, Syracuse, also was shot. A bullet struck him in the abdomen, and lodged near his spinal cord, Connellan said. Hackett underwent emergency surgery this morning at Upstate University Hospital, police said. He is in critical condition.

Police interviewed Huertas this morning.

"He said he knew there was a fight, but he didn't know who shot him," Connellan said. "He doesn't know who was involved. It was dark. There was loud music playing..."

When the bullet struck him, Huertas described feeling a "pain" in his head, Connellan said.

When police arrived, they saw a trail of blood in front of the building. They followed it to the side parking lot where officers saw people lifting Hackett into a minivan, Connellan said. Hackett's friends then drove him to the hospital.

Huertas also was driven to the hospital by people who were also at the party.

No arrests have been made.

Officers said they saw a large crowd of people leaving from the front, side and back of the building.

"At this point, we don't even know if our victims were the intended targets," Connellan said.

"There were a lot of people in there. It was a large crowd," Connellan said. "We know there was a fight and shortly thereafter shots were fired. We need people to come forward to tell us what happened."